People don’t take their choice of cars lightly, and for good reason – you’re going to be seeing a lot of your car over the next few years, so you want to make sure that it’s the perfect fit. And “fit” is the way to look at it. Sure, there are fantastic cars out there that have racked up a whole trophy case full of awards, but that doesn’t always mean that they’re the correct car for you. You, like everyone else (including reviewers), have a specific set of needs and tastes, and the only way to make sure those are met is by taking the car for a test drive.

We’re not saying you shouldn’t do your homework beforehand – you absolutely should – but the test drive should be where you make your final decision. Think of it like getting a pet: you can have a breed in mind, even a colour, but until you meet the little ball of fur, and interact with it, you won’t know if you’ve clicked. With that in mind, here are three tips for test-driving your next vehicle.

Inspect The Outside

At our exotic car dealership we see a lot of pre-owned cars, and we make sure that every single one is in great condition, with a transparent record and third party safety inspection. Even still, you’re absolutely encouraged to have a walk around the vehicle, being as thorough as you need to be with your own personal inspection. What you’re also looking at is whether this car looks good to you. Now, that may seem trivial, but it’s really not – people take in a car first with their eyes, and in order to fully enjoy a vehicle, you have to like the way it looks. Not many people would buy an ugly sweat just because it’s warm (except for around the holidays, maybe), so why would you buy a car for purely functional reasons?

Is The Inside Working For You

By all means, ogle the beautiful leather interior in our luxury cars. But the other thing you’re looking for, as you step into your test-drive, is whether the interior features work for your lifestyle. Do you like the fact that it has two doors, or would you be better suited by a four-door vehicle. Is there enough storage in the trunk for your lifestyle, or do you need more room? Even something as small as the number, and placement, of cup holders can come under scrutiny. Not everything has to be perfect, but you should be able to make a compelling case to yourself that this is the right car for you.

How Does It Drive?

When you lease a car in Toronto or another big city, chances are you’re going to be doing a lot of tight manoeuvring, and so you want to test how it handles. Test how it brakes, how it takes corners, and how it reverses (is there a backup cam? That’s definitely a bonus for city driving!). Most importantly, test how comfortable it drives. There’s not really a hard-and-fast metric for testing comfort other than your own gut feeling, so you’ll have to listen to your instincts on this one.

Once you’ve tested your car and given it your personal seal of approval, the best way to lease a luxury car is to talk to one of our representatives about tailoring a lease agreement that works for you. Just like finding the right vehicle, getting the right lease is of key importance, which is why at AUTO ONE Group we don’t believe in a “one lease fits all” approach. As mentioned, this decision will be a big part of your life, so make sure you get the car, and the deal, that works best for you.

It’s nearly that time of year again – rose and chocolate stocks are on the rise, and restaurant reservations are filling up faster than a tank of gas. With Christmas soon to be a distant memory, we’re called upon to once again to show our significant others just how much we care about them, and while you could go the chocolate and flowers route (again), there are plenty of other, less orthodox gifts that are perfect for valentines.

“Being With You Is A Great Luxury”: Now there’s an idea for a card. Attach that to one of our AUTO ONE Group luxury cars and watch your loved one melt in front of your eyes. It’s a huge gesture, and one that seems like it should cost an arm and a leg, but it doesn’t have to if you lease the car. Without the prohibitively large down payment, and without the steep monthly fees associated with luxury car ownership, you can afford to punch well above your weight class, offering that special someone a car they’d only previously dreamed of owning.

Another great benefit, when you lease a luxury car rather than buying it outright, is that the car is usually still under warranty, meaning that your partner won’t have to fret over unexpected, post-warranty repair costs. And because you’ve leased the car for a set term, you only have to eat the cost of the vehicle’s depreciation for that term, rather than the whole cost of depreciation. This all amounts to a fairly reasonable Valentine’s Day gift, albeit one that you’ll continue to pay monthly over the course of a few years.

It works very well if you’re in a relationship where you share money, that way you can offer than the initial gift of a dazzling luxury car, with a tacit understanding that the two of you will share the monthly costs going forward. But even if you don’t share money, and you’re willing to pay for a gift monthly for that special someone in your life, this is a great way to score some serious relationship points. Working with one of our knowledgeable representatives, you’ll find the lease agreement that suits you most comfortably.

And if the car you want isn’t in our inventory, we offer classic and exotic car sourcing. Maybe your partner is a vintage car kind of person, and you figure that nothing says Valentine’s Day quite like a cherry red ’69 Ford Mustang – we’ll work meticulously to source that car for you. We understand how important this decision is, and dedicate ourselves to making sure that you’re 100% satisfied with both your vehicle and the lease agreement to which it’s attached.

Furthermore, even though you’ve given your partner the car, there’s no reason why you can’t partake in driving it every once in a while. It can be as much a gift you give to the both of you than a gift you give them. If the two of you have ever talked about owning a nice car one day, or upgrading the car you have now, this is a perfect opportunity to do so, and we think when you check out our dealership you’ll fall head over heels (in the spirit of Valentine’s Day!) with on of our luxury cars.

Whether you’re looking to impress a new love, or you just want to treat your long-time spouse to a beautiful new car, this February 14th replace the flowers with horsepower and lease a luxury car with AUTO ONE Group.

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